Winter storm warning—
 
a white cat in the window
 
purrs contentedly.

 
 
 

Unexpectedly
 
storm clouds part, and bright blue sky
 
shows itself to me.

 
 
 

Storm clouds in the north—
 
how many untold stories
 
can one raindrop hold?

 
 
 

It is no great loss
 
to watch storm clouds disappear,
 
but when plum trees fall…

 
 
 

Dark winter clouds part,
 
tantalizing me with blue,
 
before the storm starts.

Rooster

 
 
 

Silly old rooster!
 
Do you think the storm will stop
 
because you’re crowing?

Thunderclap

 
 
 

Nearby thunderclap—
 
three barefoot children scramble
 
to escape the storm.

Know

 
 
 

How much do you know,
 
blackbird on my garden gate,
 
of the storm to come?

Winds

 
 
 

first storm of autumn—
 
buffeting winds drive the crow
 
away from her nest

Waiting

 
 

still waiting to hear
 
what the willow has to say
 
after last night’s storm